Empty
by Arikae
Summary: Jon Archer and the crew come across a man from Archer's past...a man he respected. Trip doesn't trust the man but Jon refuses to listen to him. This man will test Jon and Trip's friendship. Is their bond strong enough to endure the test?


**Author's note: This is my first Star Trek fan fiction. I feel like a fraud writing in his fandom because I've never been a big Star Trek fan until the new Star Trek movies with Chris Pine came out. I have watched Star Trek Voyager and Enterprise. I fell for Trip as soon as he opened his mouth on the first episode and started writing this fic after watching the series. Because I'm not a hardcore fan of Star Trek I feel I have to warn everyone that there are probably so many things in this story that are completely wrong or impossible in the Star Trek Universe. Please don't read if you know this will annoy you. I tried to do a little research as I wrote this story but it was negligible. I also have to apologise for making John Archer so out of character. I needed him to be a jerk in this story but he's back to normal by the end of it. If you do continue reading, I hope you enjoy this story. If you don't, that's okay.**

 **Warning: Un-betaed.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story.**

Jonathan Archer, the first Captain of the USS Enterprise, headed to the bridge of the ship with his Chief Engineer, Charles "Trip" Tucker the third. Jon considered himself lucky to have Trip on his ship. Every engineer in the Starfleet loved maintaining the ship's engines but Trip was a natural. He could feel the engines throughout the ship and sensed if they felt…'sick'. However, that was not the only reason. Many crew members built their relationships with their crewmen over the space of their missions or journeys. Jon met Trip about a decade before he was given the Captaincy of the Enterprise. Along with Robinson and himself, Trip was a big reason for why Enterprise became a reality for all of them. Trip was his best friend.

"What are you thinking about, Captain?" Trip asked of Jon's distant look.

Jon smiled, "We met about 11 years ago?"

Trip returned the smiled, "11 years 3 months and 2 days."

"I didn't know we were dating." Jon joked though very surprised Trip was counting.

Trip shrugged, "Meeting you was probably the best thing that happened to me. All my life I've wanted to be an Engineer, but I never believed I would be an Engineer aboard a Starship like the Enterprise. Without you, I would still be on the ground, not up here among the stars."

Jon envied the way Trip was so open about his thoughts and feelings. It was something he couldn't do as a captain. Trip always did what he felt was right even if it was against his better judgement. The best example of that was the Vissan incident where he gave their third gender, the Congenitor, access to a world beyond her own. Effectively, she was shown what an unfulfilled life she was living and when forced to continue living it, committed suicide. Trip did what he felt was right. He didn't believe she was given her rights but in the end he was reprimanded and she lost her life. Jon knew Trip only had the best of intentions but there were reasons why Starfleet had rules in place for initial contact. They were never to interfere with a species way of life, unless it was officially requested. Trip was always caring and protective and Jon wouldn't have it any other way.

"I wouldn't be up here if you hadn't helped me with the NX program." Jon pointed out to his Chief. "You risked your career."

Trip shrugged, "So did you."

"I risked my career for myself. You risked it for me. I never did thank you for that."

Trip disagreed and held his arms out wide, gesturing at the ship around them. "I think you've thanked me enough. By my count, I still owe you."

Jon shook his head, knowing this debate could go on forever if he let it. "We have a job to do." Trip triggered the door and gestured for his Captain to enter the bridge first.

* * *

Sub-commander T'Pol second-in-command of the ship stood for the Captain's chair to return it to its rightful owner. "Captain, we have just received a hail from a Class-9 Voran explorer."

Trip's eyes widened at that. "Voran explorer? I haven't seen one of those in over fifteen years!"

While Trip's expression was like a child on Christmas day, Jon's was more suspicious. A distant memory of a man he considered an uncle, surfaced. "Put it through, Hoshi."

"Yes, Captain."

"This is Captain Jonathan Archer of the Starfleet's USS Enterprise. How may we be of assistance?"

There was no response at first and then a bolstering laugh came through before the familiar face came up. "Little Johnny, Captain of the greatest Starship Starfleet has ever designed. What is the universe coming to?"

Trip turned to his Captain with an amused looked. _Little Johnny,_ he mouthed while raising his eyebrows. Jon gave him a grin before answering the man on the screen. "Thomas Jefferson Junior. What are you doing so far from home?" Again, Trip raised his eyebrows but this time at the name. Anybody who knew of Earth's history, especially, American History, knew the name Thomas Jefferson.

"Do you mind letting us board your ship before we catch up?"

Jon laughed, "Sure, why don't you bring it into our docking bay? My Chief Engineer is itching to get a closer look at it."

"See you soon!"

Hoshi cut the transmission. "T'Pol, do you mind taking the bridge for a little longer while I entertain our guest?" T'Pol just bowed her head slightly, as she usually does. "Come on, Trip."

"Yes, Captain!" It was definitely Christmas for Trip.

* * *

Trip's attention was purely on the Class-9 ship. In Trip's books, the Voran Explorer was among the classics. It was small, only made for up to five crew members but it had enough power in the engines to travel from Earth to Klingon Space in 2 weeks. At the time it was made, it's warp engine would've only been capable of warp 1.5, but it was the best of the best and made to withstand much more. It was considered a rich kids toy. It didn't need all the extras, for example, a shell able to withstand a Klingon's photon blast but it was added because the designer could afford it. The warp core has been upgraded and could now travel at warp 4. Again, any other ship of it's time wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure of warp 4 but the Voran explorer was one of a kind. Trip didn't even know everyone was looking at him until he realised the docking bay was silent. He turned and went red at being the centre of attention. "I'm sorry, Captain. It's just…"

Thomas Jefferson, or 'T.J.", as Jon liked to call him, waved his hand to dismiss the apology. "No need to apologise. She's quite the beauty, ain't she?"

Trip sighed longingly at the ship, "That she is, Sir."

"Fortuna is the reason I haven't seen T.J. in almost twenty years. He was affluent at the time and bought his ship so he could explore the galaxies." Jon smiled at the woman standing at Thomas's side, "Or I could be wrong."

Thomas grinned and put his arm around the elegant and beautiful Trill. "My wife, Meg'aan. She truly is the reason why I never returned to Earth. We spend our lives exploring the stars."

"Romantic." Trip smiled. "Although," He looked up at the Fortuna, "the competition has got to be exhausting." He joked.

Thomas laughed, "It may seem so to you but Meg here has my full attention."

"Now I do." Meg'aan spoke for the first time, "When we first met he would not stop talking about Fortuna. Fortunately, she and I have come to an agreement. He's allowed to spend the days on her, however, the nights are all mine." She said seductively.

They all laughed at that. "Why don't you stay a few days and we'll catch up."

"Actually," Thomas held out a hand to stop them from walking away. "I did hail you for a reason. My ship's warp drive has been playing up and I was hoping you had the equipment I need to analyse the problem and fix it."

Jon chuckled softly, knowing his engineer wanted to start jumping up and down. "I'll do you one better. Trip here is my Chief Engineer. Why don't you leave Fortuna in his hands? I'm sure he'll have it fixed in no time." Trip held his breath as he waited for Thomas to answer.

Thomas shrugged, "Why not? Saves me from the work."

Trip looked like a Cheshire cat, "I will have her purring like a kitten by tomorrow."

"Just make sure Enterprise is still purring like a kitten tomorrow."

Trip put a hand to his heart, as if he were shot, "You wound me, Captain. Enterprise is still my number one girl!"

Jon shook his head and shoved Trip towards the small ship, "Just get to work, wiseass."

* * *

Trip was in heaven as he slowly explored every part of the Fortuna. It truly was beautiful. He listened to the warp engine and heard the strange hum it made. "Hmmm…nothing a little cleaning shouldn't fix." He found it strange that Thomas couldn't tell the difference between engine trouble and a dirty engine. After all, he has had this ship for 20 years. However, he wouldn't know if that was the case until he cleaned it first.

Trip smiled at the smooth hum after unclogging the warp engine. "As good as new." He wiped his hands clean and resumed his exploring. He sat in the pilot's seat and checked the other systems. A history of the navigation chart came up when he ran a check of the navigation system. Everything seemed in order until Trip spotted something strange. Up until six months ago, it looked like Thomas had been just exploring the planets he came across but then the stops became few and far between, as if they were looking for something in particular. More than that, the stops he did make were the ones Enterprise had visited in the past six months. Could it be a coincidence? It was a slim chance that it was and it was something he should tell the captain about.

* * *

The captain had a great time catching up with the man he considered a mentor during his teenage years. Thomas had so many adventures. Trip was there to listen to a few of his latest adventures. He had deliberately asked about them during their regular Captain's dinner. They confirmed his suspicions when the adventures didn't match up with the planets they visited recently.

Thomas stood up after talking for hours. "I think it's time for my wife and I to turn in for the night. We can talk more tomorrow. And thank you for what you've done for Fortuna."

Trip stood with them politely. "It truly was my pleasure."

"Tomorrow night, we'll have a dinner before you leave the next morning with my bridge officers. Nothing big, just a little gathering." Jon suggested.

"That sounds wonderful." Meg'aan smiled, "It has been a long while since I've had the pleasure of attending a formal gathering."

"We'll see you in the morning." Jon walked them to the door while Trip waited for them to leave. Jon turned around once the door closed. "It still doesn't seem real. I didn't think I would ever see him again."

"Does he still seem like the same person?" Trip asked him, sitting back down in his chair.

Jon thought it was a strange question and he could tell by his friend's tone that this was leading up to something. "Yes he does." He answered carefully.

"The only reason I ask is that I was looking at his navigation history and…"

"You snooped around his ship?"

"No!" Trip answered, incredulously. "I was checking the systems and it came up."

"Sounds like snooping to me." Jon accused again.

"Will you just hear me out?" Trip asked, instead of continuing the argument. Jon sat down, arms folded, clearly unimpressed. "Their history in the past six months doesn't match up with the stories they were telling." Trip sat forward, "The last 6 planets we visited, so have they."

"So?"

"You don't think that's a bit of a coincidence?"

"No, I don't. There are only so many planets in this system they could visit."

"And the fact that their stories don't match up with the navigation system?" Trip pushed.

"So they remembered wrong. It's not so hard to believe." Jon glared at his friend. "I don't like what you're insinuating. I've known this man all my life. I respect him almost as much as I respect my father so you will not disrespect him while he's on this ship."

Trip rarely saw his captain like this. Jon was never one to jump down someone's throat when the person was just looking out for the ship and its crew. "I had my suspicions and it's my job to report it to the captain."

"Well your suspicions are wrong and you had no right trying to embarrass me like that in front of my friends."

"Embarrass you?"

"That's why you were asked about their more 'recent' adventures. You were trying to catch them out in a lie and call them on it."

Trip shook his head, not believing Jon was taking this the way he was. "I did catch them out in a lie but I wouldn't call them on it. Not until I find out what they're really up to."

Jon was livid now. He got out of his seat and leaned over the table. "Stop looking into them. That's an order."

Trip clenched his jaw, "Yes, Sir." He hissed out. He stood and straightened his uniform. "Anything else, Sir?"

Jon frowned at Trip's tone. He's never heard it before, not when they were alone anyway. He was angry at Trip for accusing his mentor but he realised belatedly, Trip was only looking out for the Enterprise. Jon didn't quite understand why he had gotten so defensive at Trip's report. Maybe it was because Thomas was one of his role models while he was growing up. He was his hero. His father built the warp engine while Thomas told him the stories that inspired him to continue his father's work. He had an image of this man that he didn't want to lose and Trip was trying to take that image away. He stood back and forced himself to relax. "Actually, Meg'aan wanted to take a tour of Engineering. Give her a tour tomorrow morning."

Trip was still standing at attention, something he never did while they were alone. They were more friends, than Captain and Chief. "Is that an order, Sir?"

Jon sighed, knowing he deserved that. "Do I have to make it one?"

Trip sighed as well. He respected this man in front of him, more than anyone in the galaxy and that's saying something. He prayed he was wrong about Thomas. "No, Sir."

Jon was relieved that Trip seemed to have let his anger go, but the 'Sir' at the end told him he wasn't letting go of his suspicions. "Try to be civil, Trip. I trust Thomas."

Trip nodded, "Well I don't." Then he added at Jon's downtrodden look. "But I trust you. So I'll play nice."

Jon smiled, "Thank you."

* * *

Trip's suspicions grew throughout the day. Meg'aan asked a lot of questions about the ships engines and the functions, but it wasn't until she asked about rerouting systems that his suspicions grew in strength. "Why do you need to know that?" Trip was blunt and sick of being diplomatic even though it was a smarter move.

Meg'aan chuckled, looking very relaxed and not at all worried about his question. "Just ask Thomas. My curiosity is insatiable."

Trip nodded, pretending to accept the answer. "That's classified information. It's against regulations for you to be here but Thomas is a trusted friend of the Captain's so he made this allowance. But other than a tour, I'm not authorised to give out any other information."

"Of course."

"It's close to lunchtime and I have more work to do here. Why don't I show you to the Captain's mess? Thomas and the Captain should be waiting for you there."

"That sounds wonderful. I'm famished." Meg'aan crooned.

* * *

On the way back from the Captain's mess and after politely refusing to stay for lunch, a thought was running through Trip's mind. He was worried after showing Meg'aan so much of engineering. It may be paranoia but he wasn't about to take a chance with the Enterprise.

"Commander." T'Pol greeted him as he passed but he was too deep in his thoughts to answer. "Commander?" She called again.

Trip did hear this time. He looked up, a little confused before answering. "Sorry, Sub-commander. I was thinking about something."

"May I be of assistance?"

An idea came to mind then. If anything should happen in a way of losing control of the Enterprise, he could have a contingency plan in mind. "I'm going to send a program to your data pad," He spoke slowly as he worked the program in his mind to see if it was feasible. "If something happens in the next day or so, execute the program at the bridge."

"I do not like not being told the whole story, Commander. This sounds like something the Captain should know about." T'Pol never quite agreed with the commander on many occasions. However, when it came to the Enterprise they both only wanted what was best.

"Look, I'll send you the program. If nothing happens then there's no harm done. If something does happen, then you have a way of fixing it." Trip begged T'Pol to agree.

"How would I know when to execute the program?" T'Pol asked, it was as good as a verbal agreement.

"You'll know." Trip promised and smiled at her. "Thank you and please don't tell the Captain. I promise I'll tell him myself when the time's right."

T'Pol nodded before returning to her duties. Trip ran off quickly to engineering to start writing the program.

* * *

Thomas and Meg'aan prepared for their formal dinner with the high-ranking officers of Enterprise. "Commander Tucker is suspicious." Meg'aan told her husband. "We can't let him get in the way of our plans. The Andorian's will be arriving in the morning."

"And we will be rich as soon as they have control of the Enterprise." Thomas kissed his wife. "This is what we've been waiting for. Enough to live out our lives in luxury." Meg'aan giggled as her husband nibbled at her neck. "Do you have the drug?"

"I do."

"Good. Commander Tucker will be having a lousy night in the brig." Thomas growled into her ear making her purr.

* * *

Trip entered the Mess hall, which has been converted into a formal dining room for their guests. He was late because he only just managed to finish the program for T'Pol. He looked around the room for her. She caught his eyes and nodded, telling him she had received the package. Trip sighed in relief. He prayed she didn't have to use it.

"You're late." Captain Archer shocked him, making him jump.

"Sorry. Kelby needed to talk to me about something before I came up." Trip looked around the room as he fixed his stripes and straightened his dinner jacket. He hated these kinds of things. It wasn't him. "How are our guests?"

"Good. Meg'aan kept apologising. She thought she offended you today. What did you say?" Archer kept a civil tone and a smile on his face but Trip knew him well enough to know he wasn't happy with the chief engineer. "You promised you'd play nice."

Trip took a breath and turned to face his captain. He didn't smile but he did keep up appearances. "I did play nice. If I answered all her questions you'd be demoting me right now instead of worrying about her hurt feelings. However, if her feelings worry the great Captain Archer so much, I'll go apologise." He left his captain without waiting for a reply.

Jon sighed, again realising too late that he was over-reacting. Trip was only doing his job. After Thomas leaves the Enterprise, he'd have to make it up to Trip. Maybe he'll give him a couple of day's shore leave at their next stop.

* * *

Trip apologised to Meg'aan who milked the situation and insisted he danced with her to make up for everything. He obliged with her request before standing in the corner of the room to watch the night go by.

He didn't know this but T'Pol was watching him silently from another corner of the room. She watched as he only sipped at the champagne glass in his hand. She'd never seen this side of Trip. He was always joking and laughing unless they were on a mission and even then, he'd still find a moment to crack a joke. It was an hour later when she noticed Trip perk up. She followed his line of sight out the door but saw nobody there. She found it strange but didn't satisfy her curiosity because Lieutenant Reed came over and asked her to dance. She wasn't usually one to oblige but the Captain did ask her to socialise more.

* * *

Trip saw Meg'aan leave the party suspiciously and followed. He ran down the corridor she disappeared into but then lost her. He slowly made his way through the corridor when he felt a sharp prick at his neck. "What?" He turned to see Meg'aan before he was pulled into her guest quarters. She threw him onto her bed. Trip tried to get up but his arms and legs felt like jelly. "What did you…"

"Sssshhh…" Meg'aan crooned as she pulled open his jacket, undid his belt and pulled out his shirt. She messed up his hair before roughly kissing him on the lips. Trip tried to pull away but he could feel himself losing consciousness. "That was for me." She whispered to the unconscious Commander. "You really are attractive. Too bad." She kissed him again, but gentler this time and then ripped at her dress and messed up her own hair. Once she was done with herself she poured champagne onto the bed and dropped four empty bottles onto the floor. She waited about ten minutes before running out the door screaming, knowing her husband would be close by with the captain.

* * *

"I'm so sorry about leaving so early but I seem to have lost my wife." Thomas laughed embarrassingly.

"It's fine, really. Stop apologising. I'm sure she's just powdering her nose somewhere…" Jon froze at the Trill running towards them, her hair unraveled and dress torn, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Thomas ran to his wife and caught her just as she stumbled. She sobbed into his shoulders. "He…he…" She couldn't get her words out through the sobs.

Jon walked up to the comm in the hallway. "Lieutenant Reed, I need your assistance at the guest quarters. Bring T'Pol with you." He slowly walked to Thomas's room and looked in. The room was a mess and inside was, what looked like, a very drunk engineer with his clothes half off. It was clear what happened here. Jon was beyond furious. He clenched his fist, stopping himself for shooting Trip.

Malcolm arrived with T'Pol. "Sir?"

Jon turned to him, his eyes burning. "Lock him up." He growled.

Malcolm frowned and looked inside the room. "Commander?" His first reaction was concern. "I should call the doctor."

"He's drunk not injured, can't you smell it?" Jon yelled at him, making him stand at attention. "Get him to the brig and get me when he wakes up!"

"Yes, Captain." Malcolm spoke into the comm. "Ensign Puller and Simmons. Come to the guest quarters immediately." He exchanged careful looks with T'Pol.

T'Pol knew something wasn't right. Trip wasn't drunk. He was unconscious. She knew it, despite all the evidence. She had watched Trip most of the night. He only sipped at the same glass of champagne all night. That, added to the conversation they had today told her something wasn't right about the Captain's friend and his wife.

* * *

 **Three hours later…**

Jon sat in his quarters typing up Trip's court-martial. Never in all the years he'd known Trip that he thought he would ever have to do this. He knew Trip had his reservations about Thomas and Meg'aan but attempted rape? He couldn't believe it, but he saw the evidence with his own eyes. How could he deny it? Jon could still feel his temperature rise as Meg'aan gave her account of Trip attacking her in his drunken stature, yelling at her that she was trying to sabotage the ship. He yelled and screamed at her as he tore at her clothes. She shook and sobbed in her husband's arms as she told her story. If Jon were in his right mind, he would see through the act, good as it was. He should've seen through it because he should've known better. Trip was a good man.

" _Lieutenant Reed to Captain Archer. Commander Tucker is awake."_

"I'll be right there." Jon growled.

Trip groaned with his head in his hands as he sat on the bed in the brig. His head was pounding and stunk of alcohol. Malcolm was standing on the other side of the door looking at him sympathetically. "Mal, why won't you tell me how I'm on this side of the cell?"

"Sorry, Commander, but the Captain's orders were to wait for him."

"What did I do? Did I punch someone?"

"Not exactly."

Trip looked at the cryptic answer. "What did I do, Mal?" He asked, begging his friend to tell him.

Malcolm sighed. He couldn't leave him to face the Captain without telling him his alleged crime. "You attacked Meg'aan."

Trip jumped up from the bed, ignoring the pounding in his head. "I what?!"

"You got really drunk." Malcolm tried to reason, even though he didn't believe it. Trip could never do that. Not to mention, T'Pol had spoken to him afterwards, telling him of what she had observed during the night.

"I got…" Trip leaned his head against the door. "I don't even remember drinking."

"Well obviously you did!" Trip's head shot up at his Captain's voice.

"Captain…I didn't do it." Trip defended himself because he knew it was the truth.

"You were too drunk to remember you were even drinking!"

"I didn't do it!" Trip yelled back. "I would never attack a woman like that. I could never do that!"

"I saw it, Trip. Her dress was torn and look at the state of your clothes." Archer turned to Malcolm. "Did you take the pictures for evidence?" Malcolm sighed and nodded. "Good."

"Evidence for what? I didn't do anything!"

Archer turned to him, his eyes burning with fire. Most men would've shrunk back but not Trip. Trip's fury was double that of Jon's. "You tried to rape Meg'ann." Jon hissed at him. Trip stumbled back a step. Everyone had avoided the word until now. _Rape._ "You accused her of sabotaging Enterprise and then proceeded to rape her. She's lucky you were too drunk to follow through."

Trip couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Jon really accusing him of rape? Up until now, he thought Jon Archer always had his back no matter what. They were loyal to each other, always. How is it possible all that could change in two days? "Do you really believe I'm capable of that?"

"I do." There was no hesitation in that answer and it almost knocked Trip onto the floor.

Malcolm watched as the Trip he came to know drained out of him at that moment. He looked to the Captain, hoping he could see some sort of regret at those words but he only saw anger. He turned back to Trip. The pain in the man's eyes was replace by an emptiness that made his heart ache. No matter what happened from now on, everything on Enterprise would be different. "Sir, Sub-Commander T'Pol and I will lead the investigation into this. We will find out what truly happened."

"I know what happened."

"With all due respect, Sir, the courts will need a full investigation." Malcolm pushed. He hoped Trip heard what he was trying to say; he believed he was innocent of this crime, but he could see that Trip heard nothing at all.

"Fine, do it." With that Jon left the brig.

Malcolm stepped up to the door. "I'll prove to the Captain that you're innocent, Commander."

Trip turned his empty eyes onto him. "I'm not your Commander."

Malcolm wanted to shake the man and beg him to not give up but he knew that any words he spoke from here on would land on deaf ears. He turned to the prison guard. "Watch him. Get him whatever he needs."

"Yes, Sir."

Malcolm ran after the Captain. "Captain!"

"I've got nothing more to say about it, Lieutenant!" Jon kept walking. He didn't even slow down. "Go do your job."

"With all due respect, sir, when you asked me to contact you as soon as the Commander woke up, I thought it was so you could hear his side of the story." Malcolm didn't even flinch when the Captain stopped to glare at him.

"Go do your job, Lieutenant. That's an order!"

"You went in there just to tell Commander Tucker that he was a rapist to his face!" Malcolm saw the shock of his words on the Captain's expression but he didn't stop there. He was on a roll. If he was going to be court-martialed, he may as well make the most of it. "What was the point of that visit, Sir? Not only did you not listen to the Commander but you haven't listened to myself or T'Pol. Mister Jefferson may be a friend of yours but so is Trip. If you're going to condemn him, you should get all the facts first. Unless I'm mistaken, innocent until proven guilty is still an integral part of our legal system." With that, Malcolm stepped back and saluted his Captain. "I'll get back to my job now, Sir." He left Jon standing in the corridor, fuming. _Looks like everyone's getting brave on this ship._

* * *

Thomas smiled at his wife. "You should be given an award for your acting skills, dear."

"Are you ready?" Meg'aan asked her husband. "I can lock down the doors to engineering. Just because the Commander wouldn't divulge the information doesn't mean his sub-ordinates have his restraints.

"The only man I know who can deny your charms when you work your magic." Thomas kissed Meg'aan. "His loss."

"I have the stun impulse in place. It will knock out anyone in the room." Meg'aan told him.

"I feel bad. I haven't done much except keep Jon occupied. How about I make it up to you?" Thomas said, seductively.

* * *

T'Pol had tried to speak to the Captain about Trip but he wouldn't give her the time of day. His pride was still hurt from the dressing down Malcolm had given him. He went as far as to order a gag order on everyone. No one was allowed to talk about the Commander aside from Malcolm who was investigating the matter. T'Pol knew for a fact that Trip couldn't have gotten so drunk to fall unconscious. She had told Malcolm that much and the lieutenant agreed. Anybody as drunk as Trip wouldn't have been able to attack anyone let alone tear off her clothes. Malcolm knew Trip was innocent but he couldn't prove it. It was his word against hers. He wished he had insisted on the doctor. If he got a blood sample or scanned Trip he was sure the doctor would find that Trip wasn't drunk. Malcolm pulled at his hair. He couldn't do a thing!

* * *

Trip laid on the bed with his hand behind his head. The guard had brought him food but he didn't feel like eating. He didn't feel like anything. It was an alien feeling for him, to feel nothing at all. Everything he had worked for in his life was gone in the space of a conversation. He didn't think it was possible for a friend to make him feel like he was worth nothing. Jon didn't even ask him what happened. He didn't even try to believe that Trip wouldn't hurt anyone in that way. Trip was starting to wonder if the years he'd spend with Jon were just a dream. If it was, then his life had just become completely worthless. Trip was so far in his despair that he didn't even feel the engines turn off.

* * *

Thomas and Meg'aan stood outside engineering. Thomas pressed the button and smiled as they heard the bodies inside drop. "Time to take over, Enterprise."

* * *

Jon was on the bridge when the Enterprise came to a full stop. "Travis, what happened?" He stood from his chair and walked over to the pilot.

"I don't know, Sir. The controls are not responding. I'm locked out of the system."

"How is that possible?" Jon turned to Hoshi. "Contact Engineering."

"I can't, Sir. I'm locked out as well." Hoshi reported.

"I don't have weapons, Sir." Malcolm told him.

"Navigations are offline." T'Pol reported calmly. Something was niggling at her mind.

" _Attention all personnel."_ Thomas's voice came through the ship-wide intercom. _"This is your Captain speaking. By now, Jonathan, you will have noticed that you are no longer in control of this ship. I have rerouted the controls to engineering."_

Jon felt his blood drain from his face and his words to Trip in the brig came back to haunt him. The memories of the past two days flashed through his mind. Everything was so clear. All the signs that Thomas was playing him, all the evidence Trip presented to him and Malcolm and T'Pol's defense of the Commander, hit him like a bullet train. But that wasn't the worst of it; Trip's expression when he accused him of attempted rape plagued his mind. He had lost control of his ship but his only thoughts were of Trip. Trip had warned him over and over. He threw Trip in the brig because he believed the words of a woman he had only met two days ago!

Malcolm was about to run out of the room to engineering when Thomas threatened them. _"I have 15 hostages here. So don't try to take us by force. I will kill them all. You have absolutely no cards, Jon, so just sit tight and wait for the Andorian's to arrive."_

"You won't get a way with this."

" _I already have, Jon. Your Commander made it hard for us but we still managed thanks to you. You've always been too trusting, Jon."_

"You son of a bitch." Jon cursed.

The mention of the commander suddenly jolted T'Pol into action. Now she knew why she had that niggling feeling. Trip had planned for this. She pulled out her data pad and connected it to her console. She didn't speak as Thomas continued boasting about how he had tricked them all. Little did he know that Trip had been a step ahead of him.

Malcolm walked up to her. "What are you doing?" He whispered.

"Executing the Commander's program. I believe it will relieve our Captain's friends of their control."

"Will it work?" He said of the complex program. It was all gibberish to him.

T'Pol had no doubt that it would work. "Head to the transport room and wait for the Captain's orders."

"It will be my pleasure."

" _What's wrong, Jon? Cat got your tongue?"_ Thomas provoked him.

T'Pol waited patiently for Tucker's program to upload before executing it. "Captain Archer?" Jon turned to her. T'Pol press the button. All the controls in the Bridge lit up again. "You have the bridge." Captain Archer smiled.

* * *

"What happened?" Thomas pressed at the non-responsive controls. "How?"

"I don't understand. They shouldn't have the ability to over-ride the controls." Mega'an typed furiously at the computer but nothing happened.

"Get me control now!" Thomas screamed in a panic.

"Captain Archer to the Transport room." Jon spoke confidently and smugly.

" _Lieutenant Reed here, Sir, awaiting your orders."_ Malcolm spoke.

"Beam Mr Jefferson and his wife into the brig. I'll meet them there."

" _Yes Sir!"_

Archer turned to T'Pol. "Care to join me?"

"I do." T'Pol was anxious to get Trip out of the brig.

* * *

Trip didn't react when Thomas and his wife were beamed into the cells on either side of his. "How did this happen?!"

"We had control!"

Trip would've laughed if he felt anything right now. If he were his normal self he would've felt so smug that his plan had worked. He would've laughed in their faces. It should've been a great feeling but Trip felt nothing at all.

Jon arrived at the brig expecting to see Trip to be standing at the door waiting to be released or at least be surprised that he had company instead Trip was laying on the bed staring up at the ceiling of his cell with blank eyes. "Get him out of there." He would have to deal with Trip's mental state later.

"Yes, Sir." Malcolm opened the door to the cell. Still, Trip didn't get up. "You're free, Commander. We know you're innocent. These two tried to take the ship but you saved us all."

Jon frowned. "Trip did that?" Trip was the best engineer but not even he could pull off a trick like that without being in Engineering.

"Before dinner last night, Commander Tucker sent me a program to execute if something went wrong. It seemed he had anticipated something of the like and wrote a program to counter it. I didn't know what the program was for until the Bridge lost control of Enterprise." T'Pol informed him.

"I never should've doubted you." Trip still hadn't moved from his spot. He left Malcolm to handle it for now. He needed to speak to Thomas. "Why'd you do it?"

Thomas shook his head at him. "Exploring the galaxy isn't as romantic as people make it out to be. You don't know of the things I've had to do to stay alive since I left Earth. I did jobs for bad people and it turns out I had a knack for it."

"So you're nothing but a crook." Jon turned away from him. "Makes it easy for me to forget you."

"Don't you go all high and mighty on me Jonathan Archer! If it wasn't for your father, you'd be nothing!"

Jon turned back to him. "No, you're nothing." He shook his head in disbelief. "You used to be larger than life."

"Don't think you've won, Jon." Thomas sneered at the Captain as Jon left the brig.

Malcolm managed to get Trip up with T'Pol's help. It was like he was a zombie. He was there but no one was home. They got him outside of the brig and waited for the Captain to join them. "That's quite a program you wrote there." Malcolm tried to get Trip to respond but Trip just leaned against the wall and stared at nothing. He looked at T'Pol, hoping she could help but she just shook her head. Emotional assistance was not a Vulcan's strong suit. "Come on, Trip, talk to me."

Jon came out of the brig. The door closed behind him, shutting out the yells of Thomas Jefferson Junior. He found himself staring at a non-responsive Chief engineer.

"Sir, with your permission, I'd like to take the Commander to the sickbay." Malcolm requested.

"I'll take him. You two go to the bridge. The Andorian's will be arriving soon. Make sure they understand the consequences if they dare to fire on us." Jon ordered as he took Trip by the arm. "Let…"

Trip pulled his arm out of the Captain's grip. It was the first reaction they got from him since last night. "I can walk on my own, Sir." His voice was as empty as his eyes. "I don't need to go to sick…"

An explosion rocked the ship sending everyone to the ground. Trip, who was exhausted from everything that had happened, hit the wall behind him, slamming the back of his head against it. "Travis, report!" He heard the Captain demand.

" _An explosion in Engineering, sir."_ That must be what Thomas was talking about, Jon thought to himself. It was their backup plan. If they couldn't take over the ship, they would incapacitate it, making it easier for the Andorian's to board and take over.

Engineering. Trip heard the report. That was his department. He ignored the blinding pain in his head and struggled to get up. He felt hands helping him up. It was the Captain and Malcolm. He looked the Captain in the eyes for one second and saw the regret and guilt in them but he couldn't bring himself to care. He bolted off in the direction of Engineering.

"T'Pol, Malcolm, go with him." Jon would have to wait to make amends with his best friend. "Sickbay." He spoke into the comm. "Get a medical team down to Engineering."

Trip opened the door to Engineering. At first, all he saw was smoke. As he walked through he saw the damage was limited to the impulse drive. It would take days to fix it but for now he could reroute the power through the EPS conduits to compensate for it. It wouldn't take long. He looked around and saw the medical team arrive. "Anyone who does not need medical attention I need you back at your post. We need to reroute the power from the impulse drive to generate a sub-space field."

"What do you need me to do?" T'Pol asked him.

He led her over to a control panel. "At my say so, pull all these levers down." He grabbed Malcolm on his way over to the impulse engine. He opened a panel and pulled out the tray of emitters. "Take out each of these one by one. Don't pull it out until I tell you to. Got it?"

"What happens if I do?" Malcolm queried.

Trip narrowed his eyes at him. "Just don't."

"Got it." Malcolm smiled. He couldn't help it. It felt as if they have the old Trip back.

Trip shook his head and pulled out another tray next to it. He started rewiring them. "Pull the first one out and disconnect it." Malcolm did as he was told, as Trip continued with the rewiring. Every time a light lit up in Trip's tray, Malcolm pulled out an emitter. "Almost done."

" _Commander Tucker, how are you doing down there. Andorians just came out of hyperspace."_ It was the Captain.

Malcolm saw how Trip froze at the voice on the line. He frowned. "Commander? Trip?"

Trip jolted a little out of his state. "Sorry." He gasped. "Almost done here, Captain." He nodded to the last emitter. "Take it out and close the tray." He closed his own tray and moved to the control panel. "On my mark, pull each lever T'Pol."

"I'm ready, Commander."

"3,2,1 Mark." Trip pulled his lever at the same time T'Pol pulled her. "Mark." Another one. "Mark." Another one. "Last one. Mark."

Malcolm smiled when he felt the Enterprise start moving again. "Good job, Commander."

Trip nodded, "Thanks." He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted from the past two days. "You should go to the Bridge. The Captain will need his tactical advisor."

"Are you okay?" Malcolm took him by the arm and gently sat him down on the floor. "I'm going to call the doctor."

"Mal, I'm fine." Trip closed his eyes. "I just need to rest for a sec."

"What is wrong?" T'Pol asked as she knelt down next to Trip.

"Mal, T'Pol, I'm fine. Go back to the Bridge."

"I will take care of the Commander, Lieutenant." T'Pol assured him. Malcolm hesitated before nodding and leaving for the Bridge.

"Just give me a second to rest and I'll be fine." Trip promised T'Pol. T'Pol didn't say anything. She made herself comfortable next to the Commander and waited. Trip was far from fine and it'll be a while before the statement would be true.

"I believed you, Commander Tucker. You are not capable of such savagery." T'Pol voice was kept at her usual neutral tone.

Trip smirked, "You going soft on me, Sub-Commander?"

"I don't know what you mean." Trip could almost hear the smile in her tone.

* * *

Jon smiled when the Enterprise started moving again. "What would I do without you, Trip?" Even at his worst, Trip was still the best engineer in Starfleet.

"Captain, we are being hailed." Hoshi reported.

"Put it on screen." An Andorian he did not recognise appeared on the screen. Jon didn't give him a chance to talk. "Let me lay this out for you. Your plan didn't work. We are not dead in the water. In fact we have ten photon torpedos aimed at your ship. Go ahead, scan our ship if you have to." The captain waited for the Andorian to confirm what he had told him. He could tell when the scan was completed. "You have one minute to move out of my ship's shooting range before we blow you up." Jon wasn't in the mood to be diplomatic. He had more pressing matters to deal with.

"The ship is powering up their warp drive, Sir." Malcolm reported.

"Good." He turned to his tactical officer. "How's the Commander?"

Malcolm shook his head, sadly, "I can't say, Sir. He just did a brilliant job with the engines but he's exhausted. When I left him with the Sub-commander he could barely stand."

"I'll go see him." Jon moved towards the door when Malcolm stopped him.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Sir." Malcolm spoke in a low voice so that nobody could hear him. "He didn't react well when he heard your voice over the comm." Jon closed his eyes. This was his fault. "I think you need to give him a little space."

Jon knew Malcolm was right. "Make sure Phlox checks him out. He hit his head when the explosion took out the engine."

"Yes Sir." Malcolm left the bridge.

"Travis, set a course for the next inhabited planet. We'll drop off our prisoners there."

"Yes, Sir!"

Jon sat back down in his chair and sighed. He may have destroyed his and Trip's friendship.

* * *

Trip shoved Phlox away from him when he shone a light into his eyes. He and T'Pol wouldn't stop hovering over him. There was an engine that needed fixing and half his people were already in the sickbay, he didn't need the doctor telling him he wasn't fit for duty. "Doc, you shine that light at me again and I'm going to shove it where you have to surgically remove it. Got it?"

Phlox back away a little at the threat before throwing his hands up in defeat. He had been trying to determine if Trip had a concussion but the commander refused to cooperate.

"Commander," T'Pol tried. "Engineering can wait for now. You have temporarily fixed the problem. You're exhausted and haven't eaten or slept well in over thirty-six hours. You need to rest."

Trip turned his eyes to her and she almost gasped at the desperate look in his eyes. He was begging her. He needed to keep himself busy otherwise he'll fall into that dark and empty hole again. He didn't want to go there. "Just let me get back to work."

T'Pol couldn't refuse his request. She sighed. "Stay here and don't move." She took the doctor by the arm and pulled him aside so that Trip couldn't hear what she was saying. "If I promise to keep an eye on him, will you clear him for duty?"

"Sub-commander!" Phlox couldn't believe how irresponsible she was being. "I don't need to give him a thorough examination to know that he's not well enough to perform his duties. I can see that with my own eyes."

"Which do you think is in need of more attention? His mental health or his physical health?" T'Pol asked the doctor. Anyone, with or without a medical degree could answer that question.

Phlox shook his head. "You need to convince him to eat and sleep first. He can't go on in his state."

"I will."

Malcolm passed the doctor on his way to Engineering. "Doc, the Captain asked you to take a look at the commander."

"I was just there but the commander refused my help. Sub-commander T'Pol is with him. I believe she may need your help in convincing him to eat and rest." Phlox walked off without another word. Clearly not happy.

Malcolm opened the door to Engineering to find T'Pol and Trip on their way out. "Great, the two people I've been looking for. Care to join me for lunch? Chef made your favourite; pecan pie."

"Sounds great." Trip said, unconvincingly, as he pushed his way past Malcolm.

"How is he?" Malcolm asked quietly. They walked behind the commander.

"I threatened to suspend him until the doctor cleared him for duty unless he had a meal first." T'Pol answered him. He found it strange how he could tell the Sub-commander was concerned even though she didn't show expression on her face and voice.

They were halfway to their destination when Trip's vision started to blur. He stopped walking and threw his hand out to steady himself against the wall.

"Commander?" Malcolm rushed over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think a detour to the sickbay is in order." T'Pol suggested, shaking her head at the stubborn engineer. She pulled his arm over her shoulder while Malcolm took the other side. "I believe you have a concussion, Commander."

"Looks like the Captain was right. He did hit his head." Malcolm felt Trip tense at the mention of the captain. He hoped for the day when the Captain and the Commander could put this all behind them. He grunted when Trip lost consciousness completely. "Commander!"

"We'll take him to his quarters. It's closer." T'Pol pulled out her communicator. "T'Pol to the Doctor. Please meet us at the Commander's quarters. He is unconscious."

* * *

Captain Archer opened the doors to Trip's quarters. T'Pol had informed him of what had happened. "Captain."

"How is he?" Jon asked of the unconscious man in the bed.

"The doctor is still examining the Commander." Malcolm answered.

"He has a concussion." Phlox said, unnecessarily. "He is exhausted and he needs to get something into his stomach."

"I've spoken to the guards last night. He didn't eat any of the food brought to him. He also didn't sleep or say a word." Malcolm reported.

"I'm going to start an IV to replenish the lost fluids but it's not a substitute for a good meal. Unless he eats one full meal and gets six hours of rest, I will not clear him for duty." The doctor was adamant about this and Jon could tell he would not negotiate.

"I'll see to it." Jon told him. "T'Pol, I need you to juggle the roster for Engineering. Tell Kelby he's acting Chief until Trip's back on his feet." He looked over at Trip. He wanted to be the one to take care of him but he didn't know how Trip would react when he woke up and saw him in his quarters. It was best he stayed his distance until Trip was strong enough. "Mal, stay here and watch over him. I'll let Chef know to have his meals brought to his quarters."

"I have a shift in two hours." Malcolm told his Captain.

"I'll have someone take over the shift for now. Just stay here with him. He needs someone he knows he can trust."

"Yes, Captain."

"And Lieutenant?" Jon stopped before leaving the room. He turned around. "I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday. You were right. Trip deserved better from me. Thank you for standing up for him." Malcolm nodded, accepting the apology. He waited for Jon to leave before sitting down on the chair at the desk. He tinkered with his data pad, using the time to set up the roster for the next month.

* * *

It was over three hours later when Trip started to stir. Malcolm got up and sat on the side of the bed, being careful of the IV bag hanging above the bed. "Commander?" He waited patiently as Trip's eyes fluttered open and looked at him blearily. "How are you feeling?"

Trip looked around the room, wondering how he had gotten back to his quarters. "What happened?" He said as he lifted his hand, indicating the IV line.

"You collapsed on your way to sickbay. We brought you here because it was closer."

Trip closed his eyes at the pounding at his head. "How are the engines?" He asked as the memory of what happened in engineering returned.

"Fine for now. Don't worry about the engines. You need to eat." Malcolm stepped up to the comm. "This is Lieutenant Reed. Chef, will you bring up a plate of food for the Commander." Before returning to the bed, he filled up a glass with water from the bathroom. "You should drink." He helped support Trip's head as he drank, wincing at the lump he felt back there. "That's quite an egg you have."

"Yeah, matches my headache." Trip didn't mind the pounding. It stopped him from thinking about what happened. "What did Phlox say?"

"That you had to have six hours of sleep and a full plate of food in your stomach."

Trip sighed. He didn't have an appetite and six hours is too long to leave Enterprise in the state she was in. "Can I negotiate?"

"Non-negotiable."

Trip groaned, "Figures." He frowned at his friend. "You don't have to stay with me."

"I have my orders."

Trip's expression grew cold at that. "Captain doesn't even trust me to take care of myself I see."

"He's worried about you." Malcolm corrected. "And well, you have to admit; you're not the best when it comes to taking care of yourself."

"I'm fine."

"You're far from it."

"I've got a headache and I'm tired. Nothing I can't handle." Trip pushed himself up, trying his hardest to ignore the nausea. "Enterprise needs the impulse engines back. We can't rely on thrusters."

"Trip," Malcolm dropped all formalities because they were more than just officers on a starship. "We're friends, right?"

Trip smirked, "Yeah, but then again, I always thought of the Captain as my friend as well and we all know how that turned out."

Malcolm sighed, realising he had taken the wrong road but he knew he could still get through to Trip. "But we're friends." He urged. "That hasn't changed, right?" Trip sighed and nodded. He'd made a lot of friends on this voyage, Malcolm being one of the closest. "Then as a friend, will you please listen to me? I'm worried about you. You don't have a headache, you have a concussion and you're not just tired, you're fatigued. So much so, in fact, that the doctor had to start an IV. Rest and trust your team to handle engineering for now. You've trained them well."

Trip wanted to do what Malcolm asked because he wanted him to stop worrying but Malcolm didn't know what he was asking. Not working meant his mind would start reliving the last two days and he couldn't let that happen. If he did, he'd drive himself crazy. If he did, his mind would try to make sense of it all but it was impossible to do that so he had to keep his mind busy. The only way to do that was to work on the engines. It was the only thing he could do to stop himself from spiraling into a dark place he didn't want to go to. He never wanted to go there again. "You're my friend, Mal, but I can't lie here and do nothing. I can't."

Malcolm sighed. There was nothing he could say to get his friend to rest but he could at the least get him to eat. "Then please eat. You can't work without food to keep your strength up." Trip nodded, willing to compromise. "Good." The bell for the room rang. "Perfect timing." It was Chef with Trip's meal.

* * *

Trip worked on the engines for the next twenty-four hours, only resting for meals. There were even times when he would settle for protein bars because he refused to stop what he was doing, claiming it was too important. T'Pol or Malcolm was always with him. If they weren't there, Trip would even forgo the protein bar. The doctor wasn't happy and he was close to knocking the Chief unconscious with a hypo-spray.

Jon received reports on Trip's condition as well as progress reports from Trip on the engines. Jon hated having to read them rather than receiving them from Trip personally. Ever since he'd met Trip, he never felt uncomfortable with him. He couldn't imagine going on this mission without him and he couldn't imagine continuing it like this.

Jon turned off his computer and squeezed the bridge of his nose. He had to do something about his friend. The doctor's report tells him that Trip is running himself into the ground. If he kept going, he could do real damage to his health not to mention injure himself because of his exhaustion. As a friend he had to take care of Trip, as a Captain he had the responsibility to order Trip to stand down before his deteriorating health led to carelessness. He wasn't looking forward to this talk with Trip because he knew how Trip would take it.

* * *

Captain Archer almost didn't recognise Trip. The man's face was drawn, he was pale and there were dark rings under his eyes. He knew Trip hadn't slept in two days and he wasn't eating well, but he wasn't expecting this. However, that wasn't even the worst of it. As soon as Trip turned his attention on Jon, his eyes drained of life. It was like the man in front of him was just a shell. He wished Trip would yell at him or even try to punch him. An angry Trip would be far better than this. "Trip, you need to rest. That's an order." Jon got straight to the point.

"Sorry, sir but the engine ain't going to fix itself." Trip's voice was neutral. He was arguing and yet he wasn't.

"Lieutenant Kelby can handle it. You need to stand down." Jon told him firmly.

Malcolm stood close to Trip. He could feel how tense the Commander was. The man was almost trembling. "Come on, Commander. I'll walk with you to your quarters."

Trip took a breath and returned to what he was working on as if he heard nothing. "Trip!" Malcolm tried to stop the Captain but it was too late. The Captain's hand touched Trip's shoulder and the Chief lost all composure.

"Don't touch me!" Trip spun around and shoved the Captain's hand off him. He shook as he stepped away from Jon. Malcolm's hand came out to steady him when he stumbled but Trip backed away further until he hit the railings separating him from the engine.

Jon couldn't believe what he was seeing. Trip was like a wild animal backed into a corner. "Trip." He gasped at the damage he had caused.

"Just let me finish this. I need to get Enterprise moving again. Please." Trip begged them.

"You're not going to get anything moving again in your state, Trip. You keep going like this and you're going to make a mistake. A mistake in engineering can get a lot of people killed." Jon needed to make Trip see the consequences of what he was doing.

"You don't trust me with the engines now?"

"No!" Jon wanted to pull his hair out. "I trust you, Trip. I do but you're exhausted."

"I've worked day and night like this plenty of times. You never worried about my abilities then." Trip challenged.

"You weren't injured those times."

Trip knelt down and pulled open a panel on the engine. "It's just a bump to the head."

Jon sighed. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't let Trip continue. "I'm sorry, Trip." Trip ignored him and kept working. He didn't notice the captain get close enough to apply the hypo-spray. By the time he realised what was happening, it was too late. Jon caught the look of betrayal before his eyes closed. He caught his friend and held him close because he knew he could never be this close to him if he were conscious. "I'm sorry."

Malcolm watched on sadly as the captain was forced into his last resort. He knew the Captain has just made his situation with his Chief Engineer worse. He wished he could've helped more but Trip's mental health was deteriorating. They had to put a stop to his destructive path before Trip broke down completely. Malcolm knelt down and put a hand on the Captain's shoulder. "We should get him to sickbay."

Jon didn't want to let Trip go so he didn't. "Help me with him."

Malcolm nodded and took one side while Jon took the other. Together they carried their friend to the sickbay where he could get the help he needed. They knew the doctor would keep him sedated if that was what was required.

* * *

The Captain stayed the night in the sickbay at his friend's side. He couldn't bring himself to leave Trip even though he knew Trip would shut down as soon as he saw him. For now, the doctor was keeping him sedated until his blood pressure and sugar levels returned to normal. Phlox said he was close to having a seizure.

"I wish you'd talk to me, Trip. I know what I did was unforgivable but you can't ignore your feelings. You need to let out the anger. I want you to let it out. Punch me, kick me…anything, just stop keeping it in. It'll kill you." Jon told Trip all this now because he knew Trip wouldn't listen to him anyway. Not in his current state of mind. Eventually he would be forced to have this conversation with him whether Trip wanted to or not, but for now this would have to do. "I don't know how to fix this, Trip. I can't fix this unless you let me." Jon held Trip's hand in both of his. "Give me a chance."

* * *

Trip woke up the next morning to find Jon talking to the doctor. They hadn't noticed he was awake, so engrossed in the doctor's diagnosis of Trip. He frowned, not knowing what to do. He felt a surge of panic rising through his chest but he quickly squashed it. He didn't want to feel it. He didn't want to feel anything. So just as he'd done inside the brig, he shut everything down. He looked up at the ceiling and stopped feeling, stopped caring. That's what he thought he was doing. What he was really doing was suppressing everything he felt. He was bottling it up.

Jon frowned. He looked over at Trip. The man hadn't moved but he could sense that the Commander was awake. He handed the data pad back to the doctor and walked over to Trip. Trip's eyes were open but he was staring into nothing. His eyes were blank again. Jon sighed. He walked back over to the doctor. "I'm going to get Hoshi to watch him. Meet me in the briefing room. We need to figure out a way to help him before his mind breaks."

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

In the briefing room was the Captain, the doctor, T'Pol and Malcolm. The four people who were closest to the Commander. The doctor had given them an update on Trip's health. His mental health was impeding his physical recovery. They needed to do something before it was too late. "Any suggestions?" Jon asked his friends because that's who they were right now. Four friends worried about a fifth.

"It seems to me that the Commander is doing what we Vulcans do. We have learned to suppress our emotions and that is what Trip is doing. However, he is human and not Vulcan. His mind is not made to suppress his emotions that way." T'Pol told them.

"So we have to force him to let it all out." Jon said, knowing it was easier said than done.

"Without causing a mental breakdown." Malcolm warned.

"He is already on the verge of that whether we do anything or not. However, if we control the emotional release, we may be able to guide him through the process." The doctor suggested.

"Are you saying we should trigger the release ourselves?" Jon asked. "How?"

"It's not hard." Malcolm told them, a matter-of-factly. "Your touch, Captain, is enough to trigger it. It did actually but because you didn't push, the Commander shut it down before it could overwhelm him."

"So this time, you think I should keep pushing." Jon didn't like the idea. He shuddered at the look in Trip's eyes when he touched his shoulder. "He could lose the plot altogether."

"Not if we are there to help him through it." T'Pol said confidently.

"What makes you so sure?" When it came to expressing emotions, Vulcan's weren't exactly experts.

"The Commander is a human who freely expresses what he feels and thinks." T'Pol spoke of the man she has now known for almost two years. "The emotional trauma he is experiencing now is alien to him. He is not expressing it because he does not believe he can control it. He needs assistance to guide him through it. He needs his friends."

Jon nodded. It made sense. Of course Vulcan logic often did make sense. "How do we do this?"

"In a place where he feels in control would be preferred."

"Engineering is out of the question." It was the first place that came to Malcolm's mind when he thought of the Commander.

"I was referring to his quarters." The doctor said.

Jon shook his head. "Too cramped for all of us. I don't want him to feel like we're suffocating him. I think Engineering is the perfect place."

"There are too many crewmen working there. The Commander will control his emotions as long as he is within their vicinity." T'Pol wasn't sure of what the Captain was thinking.

"You're right. So we are going to clear out Engineering and shut down all the engines for half a day."

"Is that wise? What happens if we come under attack?"

"Obviously we'll still have weapons and life support. We can make sure thrusters are on standby." The Captain was determined to fix this.

T'Pol stood up. "I will inform the crew they will be receiving half a day of rest and clear Engineering."

"So you agree?" Jon was surprised he had convinced her so easily.

"Enterprise needs every member of its crew, especially its Chief Engineer and Captain. Currently, we have neither." T'Pol turned and left the room.

"Should I be insulted that she believes the Enterprise doesn't have a Captain?" Jon frowned.

"She's half right, sir." Malcolm got up, a small smile on his face at T'Pol's unintended insult. "I'm going to inform my team of what's about to happen. I want them on alert, in case anything happens while we're in Engineering."

Jon sighed, "Is this really a good idea, Phlox?"

"I can not say but it is the only idea that has a chance of helping the Commander." The doctor got up to leave as well. "I will not be there when you have your session with Commander Tucker but I will prepare a couple of hypo-sprays for you in case you need to sedate him."

"Thanks, Doc. Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Jon rubbed his eyes. He hadn't felt this tired since they began this mission of exploration.

* * *

Trip laid in sickbay staring into nothing. It was unsettling for Hoshi to see the Commander this way. She had tried to get him to talk to her but he didn't respond. Up until now she avoided talking about what happened to Trip but maybe that wasn't the way to go about it. Clearly, the mundane comments about the weather at the next stop weren't stimulating enough. "I know what the Captain accused you of and I want you to know that nobody believed it. We all knew you were innocent." Hoshi put a hand on his. "Commander, we all believed you."

Trip heard the words but he couldn't bring himself to respond because he knew if he did, he would lose all composure. He couldn't lose it in front of Hoshi. He couldn't break down in front of anyone. It didn't matter that everyone believed he wasn't the monster he was accused of being. What mattered was that Jon believed he was.

"Why won't you talk, Commander?" Hoshi gave a sad smile, "Most of the time you won't stop talking. It's a little creepy." She gave his hand a squeeze. "You're scaring me." She added in a whisper.

Trip turned to her and saw the fear and sadness there. He allowed himself to speak, only to comfort her. He could handle that. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Then he returned to staring at the ceiling.

Hoshi sighed and resigned herself to sitting silently next to her friend. She snaked her hand into his and smiled when she felt him apply pressure. Even in his state, he comforted her.

* * *

Approximately two hours later Hoshi felt Enterprise's engines shut down. The lights in sickbay went out for ten seconds before the backup generators kicked in. When the lights came back on she looked down at Trip to ask what had happened but found the bed empty and the door to sickbay open. "Oh crap."

* * *

The Captain was waiting in Engineering with T'Pol and Malcolm. "It's okay, Hoshi. Nothing's wrong. Thanks for watching him. We'll take care of things from here on. Take the day off." Jon probably should've given her fair warning but she hadn't left sickbay and they could've tipped Trip off by talking to her.

It wasn't long before Trip rushed into Engineering, looking puffed out. "What happened?" He ran up to main controls but no lights were on. It was strange, because the backup generator should've kicked in. The only way this could happen was if everything was shut down deliberately. He spun around when he heard all the doors to engineer lock down and seal shut. He turned to T'Pol and then Malcolm before turning his glare onto Jon. "Why'd you shut it down?"

"We need to talk."

"A bit of overkill, don't you think, for a talk?" Trip's voice was strained as he controlled his first reaction.

"Maybe but I don't see any other choice."

Trip clenched his fists. He stormed over to the door and pressed the controls. It wouldn't respond. He kept trying even though he knew it was useless.

"We've cut the power to engineering completely. Travis has control and he's been ordered to keep these doors locked until he hears from me and only me." Jon winced as Trip punched the control pad before calming himself down.

"I'm an Engineer. You think I can't open a door?" Trip sneered at him. He walked back over to the computer that controlled engineering. Just because engineering doesn't have control, doesn't mean there was no way of getting it back.

"I have no doubt you can, but it'll take you a while. That gives us time to talk."

"You can't make me talk."

Jon started moving closer to Trip, making Trip back away from the computer. "I'm not going to hurt you, Trip."

"Too late." Trip whispered. He was starting to shake. He was about to turn and run. Engineering was big, just because he was trapped with the Captain doesn't mean he had to stay in the same section as him. Trip stopped when T'Pol blocked off his escape route. He turned to the stairs leading to the landing to find Malcolm at the top of them. "Why are you doing this?" Trip gripped the rails of the small catwalk he was standing on.

"Let's talk, Trip." Jon begged him. It hurt to see the fear in his friend's eyes. Fear that he had put there. "I know what I did is unforgivable but for some reason you're punishing yourself instead of me."

"You're the Captain." Trip smirked, trying to keep up the bravado. It was pride, but what else did he have left? "How do I punish you?"

"Whatever you choose to do, it'll be within reason."

"What do you want me to do? Punch you? Kick you? Shoot you?" Trip snorted, shaking his head. "All of which would earn me a court-martial if you haven't already requested for one."

"No, it wouldn't and I haven't." Jon felt the guilt go up a notch. He was close to sending one out. "Punch me. Kick me. Shoot me. Do it all. Just stop holding back."

Trip gave him a mirthless laugh, "You think I don't want to? I would love to let out all the anger and aggression onto you but do you know what will happen? I'd lose control. I won't be able to stop." Trip shook his head at him. "I would kill you." A deadly silence engulfed the room at those words. Now they knew how far this had gotten. Now they knew how far over the edge Trip was. He was barely hanging on.

"You're not capable of killing anyone." Jon denied. Trip loved life. He loved living so he could never deny another man of it.

"I'm capable of rape. I'm capable of anything." Trip's eyes were deadly as Jon's accusations came back at him. He shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the images and voices, but they kept coming. "Let me out of here, Jon." Trip could feel himself losing control. He tried to shut down but he didn't have the control anymore. "I'm not a Vulcan, Captain. I can't keep them off."

"You're human, Commander. Humans were not meant to suppress their emotions." T'Pol spoke for the first time.

Trip was trembling now. He slowly lowered himself to the cold metal floor and pulled his knees in, trying to stop his body from shaking. "Let me out of here." He repeated.

Jon stepped up to him and knelt down. He wasn't sure if Trip was seeing him or not. His eyes weren't focused. He reached out, slowly and very gently laid his hand on Trip's shoulder. Trip jolted. He glared up at his captain and before anyone could stop him, he launched himself at Jon, knocking him over and landing on top of him. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Jon was shocked but he recovered quickly, bringing his arms up to stop the pummeling of Trip's fists from doing too much damage.

Malcolm watched as blind rage took over the Commander. Jon had warned him of this and had told him not to intervene. It was the first step of getting Trip onto the road to recovery. He had to vent his anger first before any of their words could get through and this was the most effective way. Malcolm looked at T'Pol, who shook her head. They needed to wait until there were signs of Trip exhausting himself.

The anger Trip had pent up must have been immense because he kept up the momentum for a good ten minutes before he showed signs of slowing down. Finally, the arms lost their strength and Trip sat on top of Jon, emotionally and physically, spent.

Jon slowly lowered his arms. He had a split lip and a bruised cheek but other than those, he was remarkably fine. He had protected his head well enough, and Trip was in so much of a rage that he didn't bother with aiming his punches. Jon dropped his head back. That was step one.

T'Pol nodded for Malcolm to move in. Trip would be too exhausted to fight him. Her heart ached for the Commander. She never thought Trip had this dark side to him. He was always so carefree.

"Come on, Trip." Malcolm snaked his arms under Trip's from behind and pulled him off the Captain. He pulled him over to the railings, letting him sag against it, knowing Trip couldn't hold himself up at this time. Malcolm remained close by. "Feeling better?"

Trip shook his head. "No."

T'Pol helped the Captain to sit up. He didn't move from where he was. "What else can I do?" Trip didn't say anything. "Tell me what you need, Trip. I'll do anything."

Trip wanted to laugh. How could he tell the Captain what he needed when he didn't know it himself? He'd been feeling like all he was doing was existing. The only thing that kept him alive was his work and now they've taken that from him as well. He wanted to stop feeling this way but he didn't think there was a way to get rid of this emptiness inside him. This feeling that his life had just ended. What could the Captain do to help him? "Why?" Trip asked. It was the only thing that could help him. Jon frowned, not quite understanding the question. "Meg'aan told you I tried to rape her and you believed her without even listening to my side of the story. Why?"

Jon sighed. It was the one thing he couldn't give Trip, not satisfactorily anyway. He couldn't explain why he acted the way he did. He couldn't explain why he didn't trust Trip. There was no excuse he could give to make this right, but he owed it to Trip to try. "Ever since T.J arrived I've been looking at him through the eyes of a 12 year old kid who hung on his every word as he told me stories of space travel. I wouldn't listen to you because I didn't want to believe that the man who helped shape who I am can change so much."

Trip could understand that. If someone he respected turned into a con artist he would be disappointed too but that was never the problem. "So you would rather believe that I could rape someone than believe he'd changed?"

"No! It wasn't a conscious choice! I just reacted to what I thought I saw." Jon begged him to believe him.

Trip looked at him in disbelief. "That makes it worse! Your natural reaction is to think the worst of me!"

"That's not true."

"Your actions prove otherwise!" Trip grabbed onto the rails, pulling himself up. His strength was coming back. He was done talking. Nothing the Captain said could help him. There was no way Trip was going to find himself again, not if he stayed on Enterprise. "I want a transfer. I don't care where. I'm done here." He managed to get to his feet with Malcolm's help.

"Please don't go." Malcolm begged him.

Trip felt the tears coming. He didn't want to leave but he didn't see any other choice. "Please don't ask me to stay. I can't." He tapped his head. "I can already feel myself slipping. There won't be anything left of me if I stayed here."

"Commander." T'Pol stepped up to him. "I don't believe Enterprise will be the same without you."

Trip couldn't believe it. T'Pol was never one to be sentimental. "You pick now to start showing that you actually like me." He shook his head. "Enterprise will never be the same, whether I stay or go. Not for me."

"Trip."

"Don't say anything, Captain. If I'm not going to listen to Mal or T'Pol, I sure as hell ain't going to listen to you. Do you know what Hoshi told me?" Jon shook his head. "She said, nobody on this ship believed Meg'aan. _Nobody._ Nobody but my best friend." He smirked. "She was trying to make me feel better but she didn't understand that nothing could make me feel better." Trip ran his hand through his hair. "I used to think back to the day we first met and I would smile because that was the day my life changed. That was the day I knew my dream of exploring space could come true." He rubbed at his eyes, refusing to let any tears drop. "Now I find myself wondering if any of it was true. I picture that man I met and then I look at you now. I don't know which one is the real you." He screwed his face up in anger. "You didn't want me to shatter the image of a man you respected so you shatter the image of the man who I respected more than anyone in this galaxy!" Trip wiped away the tear that escaped. "You're more of a fraud than he is."

"I'm sorry." Jon whispered. What else could he say? "I'm sorry."

"Just let me out of here." Trip demanded for the last time. "If you want to help me then let me go."

Jon pulled out his comm, ready to do what Trip asked when he realised he couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew he was being selfish. He knew he was hurting Trip more by forcing him to stay but he couldn't let Trip go. It wouldn't help. The distance between him and Enterprise wouldn't dull the pain. "I still remember the lieutenant who called out during an argument between high ranking officers of Starfleet and the Vulcan Ambassador. Most people would be intimidated but not you. 'There's nothing wrong with that engine.' Those were the first words you spoke." Jon chuckled. He turned to T'Pol. "Do you know what he said to the Vulcan Ambassador?"

"Will it pain me to hear it?" T'Pol raised an eyebrow at Trip who didn't respond.

"Just because it took you a hundred years to crack warp two doesn't mean it'll take us that long." Jon smiled wistfully as he spoke the words. He remembered how impressed he was with the young engineer at the time.

Malcolm laughed. "I wish I was there to see the Ambassador's face."

"He wasn't impressed to say the least." Jon smiled.

"What are you trying to do, Captain?" Trip asked him. "I remember every minute of that day as well. The problem is I'm starting to doubt that the man I met that day ever existed."

"I know the man I met that day still does. I just need to find him again."

"Stop looking. He's not here." Trip told him bluntly. "Maybe neither of them ever was."

Before Trip could even react, Jonathan grabbed him by the shoulders. Trip immediately started to fight. "Get away from me!" Malcolm wrapped his arms around Trip, stopping him from fighting. He may be smaller than Trip but he was trained in combat techniques. Jon stepped right up to him, not giving him any room to get away. "Look at me and tell me I'm not still the same man you met that day."

"I don't need to look. I know you're not!" Trip growled.

"Look at me!" Jon demanded, grabbing him by either side of his head. Trip did. He glared into those eyes. Jon stopped himself from turning away from the deadly glare. He kept his eyes on Trip's. "Do you see me? Do you see the man you fought for that day? The stranger you spoke up for? Because I can still see the man who fought for my father's work. You've never met him and you've never met me before that day but you fought just as hard for my dream as I did." Hope returned when Trip's eyes softened. "I refuse to believe that that man can be so easily quashed. From that day on-wards, Enterprise wasn't just my dream. It was ours. We both sweated over this project to bring it to life. Don't walk away from it. I need you, Trip."

"Why should I believe anything you say?" Trip begged Jon to give him a reason. Any reason. He was willing to take any reason, just so he could get away from this emptiness inside him.

It was T'Pol who answered. "Have you ever wondered why I was made second-in-command of this vessel, Commander?" Trip stopped fighting Malcolm. He didn't understand the purpose of the question. Even Jon and Malcolm were confused. Jon dropped his hands but kept one on Trip's shoulder. "The first officer must be able to put the lives of everyone on the ship before that of the Captain, should the need arise. Everyone in Starfleet knew that you would rather risk the lives of others to save the Captain's."

Malcolm felt the fight drain from Trip. He let go. He knew it was true. "You would follow the Captain to your death. We all know that. You saw something in the Captain that instilled the strongest of loyalties in you. Whatever you saw, you can't believe it's gone."

Trip didn't know what to say. Everyone knew he was loyal to the core. He turned to the Captain. Ever since that day, he knew he could trust this man. Captain Archer would always do the right thing. That's why this hurt so much because he trusted him to never do anything that would cause this much pain. "I'd still give my life for you because I know you can do more for Earth and more for Starfleet than any Ambassador or Admiral. I believe you can do it." Trip stepped away from the Captain. "It just won't be with me at your side."

The three of them watched in silence as Trip stumbled over to the door, absently pushing at the buttons. "Please open the door." He begged. He leaned his forehead against the metal. "Please."

Jon looked at the defeated man. Everything that had been said here today only proved Trip's unwavering loyalty to him. Everyone knew Trip was willing to give up everything for Captain Archer's dream but did they know that Jon was willing to give up his dream for Trip? It was time to prove it. He pulled out his communicator. "Travis, open the doors and power up Enterprise."

" _Yes, Sir."_

Malcolm and T'Pol exchanged disappointed looks. They didn't expect the Captain to give up so easily.

Trip closed his eyes in relief when the door opened. "Thank you, Captain." He whispered before leaving Engineering.

"Travis, put me on ship-wide. I have an announcement to make."

" _Yes, Sir."_

T'Pol frowned, confused as the Captain walked out of Engineering. She and Malcolm followed.

Jon slowly walked behind Trip. "Attention all personnel. We will be setting course for Earth. Commander Tucker has requested to be relieved of his position here on Enterprise and I will respect his wishes."

Trip didn't know what he should be feeling at the Captain's announcement of his resignation. Was he respecting his wishes or just relieved to have him go? He tried to ignore the stares he got as he passed the crew members.

"Our mission to explore new worlds has come to an end." Jon continued. He paused when Trip stopped walking. He waited for the Commander to turn around.

Trip frowned at him, not comprehending what the Captain was saying.

Jon smiled at him sadly. "I dreamed of exploring deep space since my father started building the warp engine. My dream started to come alive the day I met Commander Tucker. Without him, we would not be on this mission and therefore, without him, it cannot continue. Not with me as the Captain." Trip stopped breathing at those words. Jon was giving everything up because of him. "Captain out." The ship was silent. Nobody breathed. The Captain and the Commander, stood there in the corridor, staring at each other until the captain finally spoke. "You've proven time and time again that you would give your life for me. I think it's time I returned the favour. Enterprise can't continue without her Chief Engineer and I can't continue without my best friend." Jon shrugged. "Ending the mission is the only option."

"No it's not." Trip challenged.

"It's the only option for me. Enterprise will fly again but not with me as her Captain."

"Or me as the tactical officer." Malcolm added, smiling at his friend.

"I believe Ambassador Soval will reassign me as soon as Enterprise returns to Earth." It was T'Pol's way of saying she would resign her role as Science Officer.

Trip took a breath, one that seemed to come with a purpose. "Are you blackmailing me?" Jon gave a tentative smile at the joke, praying it meant what he hoped. "Wouldn't want to get into the history books as the man who halted deep space exploration."

"According to you, Ambassador Soval already has that honor." T'Pol said in her neutral tone.

Malcolm gasped in exaggerated disbelief. "Captain, Commander? Did I just hear correctly?"

Jon laughed. "T'Pol making a joke. It's a miracle."

Trip would've joined in on the fun if the corridor didn't start moving. He brought his hand up to his head when everything started spinning. Falling against the wall, he started sliding down.

"Trip!" Jon called as he watched him sag against the wall. "Trip." Jon knelt down in front of the engineer, lifting his head up. Trip's eyes were still open but they were glazed over, unfocused. "Hey." He gently tapped Trip's cheek.

"Sorry, Cap'n. Your speech made me a little woozy." Trip tried to joke but Jon was too worried to appreciate it.

"He's exhausted." Malcolm said of the man. The Commander leaned his head against the wall. He didn't have the strength to hold it up on his own.

T'Pol frowned at the sheen of sweat covering his brow and neck. "I believe he is developing a fever." Jon put a hand to his brow, confirming Trip was very warm. "We should take him to Dr Phlox. He will be able to ascertain what is wrong with the Commander."

"It's one thing after another with him, isn't it?" Malcolm worried.

Jon spoke into his communicator. "Archer to sickbay, we're bringing Commander Tucker to you."

"I'm tired." Trip complained.

"I know." Jon helped Malcolm stand Trip up.

"I don't feel too good." Trip's knees buckled.

Jon caught him from under the arms. He could feel Trip's head rolling against his shoulder. "I've got you, Trip."

"I know."

Jon smiled at the soft acknowledgement. "Let's get you some help."

* * *

Jon waited impatiently for the doctor to finish his examination. Trip was given a sedative before he began so that he could rest and Phlox didn't have any resistance. Trip never was a good patient. Malcolm and T'Pol were reading the data that came from the doctor's examination. "His temperature is still rising, Doctor." T'Pol worried.

"I can see that, Sub-Commander."

"His blood pressure's a little high, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, Lieutenant." Phlox acknowledged.

"His pulse…"

"Is too fast." The doctor finished T'Pol's sentence in frustration. "I can see that. Now will you both keep quiet so I can finish my diagnosis."

"Apologies, Dr Phlox." T'Pol apologised for the both of them.

It was another five minutes before Phlox finally finished. "I believe his body is responding to his psychological state. Now that that has been resolved, he should recover nicely. He still has a concussion so I recommend he stay here to be monitored. The last time I let him stay in his room, he was not taken care of."

Malcolm's eyes widened. "I did what I could, short of tying him to the bed. You should've insisted on him going to the sickbay if it was that bad."

"Yes well…" Phlox looked indignant. "The commander can be very stubborn."

"I never would've guessed." T'Pol said drily.

Jon wanted to laugh. Now that he knew Trip would make a full recovery, he could relax. "Why don't I stay the night and watch him? I'm his Captain. He'll listen to me."

"I don't think there's any need for that. He is exhausted enough to sleep through the night." Phlox told the captain.

"Then let me stay for me."

"If that is what you feel is necessary."

"I do." Jon insisted.

"Very well then."

"T'Pol, you have the bridge." Jon ordered.

"I've had to bridge for the past two days, Captain." T'Pol said.

Malcolm wanted to laugh. "Humans' bad habits are rubbing off on you, T'Pol."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She said, indignantly as they left the sickbay.

"Admit it, we're growing on you." Jon heard Malcolm continue his ribbing. He smiled. If it wasn't for those two, he didn't think Trip would've gotten through this time. The crew on Enterprise were becoming a family.

* * *

Jon laid down in one of the spare beds in sickbay. It was a long day and he had as much sleep as Trip did in the past couple of days. He woke up an hour later to the sound of panicked mumbling and heavy breathing. Jon turned his head to find Trip tossing on the bio bed, kicking off the blanket. The Captain quickly got up and rushed over. "Need…to fix…engines…"

Jon sighed at the stressed engineer's words. He placed a cool hand against the Commander's warm brow. "I'm more concerned for my Chief Engineer than the engines." He spoke in a soothing tone. "Stop worrying about Enterprise. You've almost got her up and running. Your crew will do the rest. I need you to rest."

Trip's eyes fluttered open at the voice of his captain. "Cap'n?" His eyes were fevered. Jon could tell he wasn't quite awake.

"Go to sleep, Trip. You've got a high fever."

Trip blinked owlishly at Jon. "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry about?" Jon wanted to get the doctor to give him a sedative, but Jon was curious at what else could be plaguing Trip's mind.

"Thomas…is a bad…man…I didn't want…to…"

"Hey, hey…" Jon stopped him there. There was no way he was going to let Trip apologise for what Thomas did. "I don't care about Thomas. I'm dumping him on the next inhabitable planet." Just the thought of the man made his blood boil.

"You're…angry."

Jon forced himself to relax and focus on Trip. "Only at myself. I should've listened to you. I should've defended you against the man."

Trip smiled wistfully, "He has a really…cool ship."

Jon chuckled. "Yeah, it's the only good thing he brought onto Enterprise."

"Can I…keep it?"

Jon grinned, shaking his head. "Go to sleep, Commander. That's an order."

Trip's eyes drifted closed. "Yes…sir…"

Jon picked up the blanket and laid it gently over trip. He touched Trip's brow with the back of his fingers. It was still too warm. He got some ice water from the replicator and grabbed a towel from the bathroom. Jon spent the rest of the night making sure Trip rested comfortably by relieving him of the heat with the cold towel. As he kept vigil over his friend, he thought about how he could make it up to Trip for everything he'd done.

* * *

 **Three days later…**

After resolving Trip's emotional dilemma, he was finally able to rest easy. However, it made him an impossible patient. The doctor had to relent and discharge him. He didn't clear him for duty though. He refused to until Trip was able to sleep eight hours straight at night and move around the ship without tiring. That only happened today and hence, Trip was finally allowed into Engineering.

Trip was impressed with and proud of his crew. They got the impulse engines up and running smoothly without him. He ran his hands over the engines of Enterprise. He loved this room, he loved his job and he loved these engines. Trip couldn't imagine himself anywhere else. "Archer to Commander Tucker. Report to the docking bay for an emergency mission." Trip frowned. They weren't even near a planet…were they?

"You better go, Sir. It sounds urgent." Kelby nodded to him. "I've got Engineering."

"You do." Trip slapped him on the shoulder as he ran past him. Kelby waited for Trip to leave before he ushered the crew out of engineering through the other door. They moved as fast as they could.

* * *

Trip palmed open the door to the docking bay and froze. It looked like the entire ship's crew was in there. They applauded as he walked down the path between the crewmen until he reached the Captain. He frowned as he passed Kelby and the Engineering crew.

Jon stood with Malcolm and T'Pol. Behind them was a large canvas. "Captain? What's going on and who's running Enterprise?"

Jon swung his arm over Trip's shoulders and turned him so that he was facing the large white canvas. "Trip, stop worrying about Enterprise for one minute. We have a surprise for you." Jon nodded to Travis and Hoshi, who pulled at the canvas at either side. It dropped to the floor revealing the Voran Explorer.

Trip's mouth hung open at the sight. It was the Voran Explorer but it was different. A name was painted on its side. _Friendship._ "I…"

"She's yours, Trip." Jon smiled at the man who was still speechless. "Anybody recording this? I don't think I've ever seen Charles Tucker the third speechless."

Chuckles rippled through the crowd. Trip turned to the Captain. "I can't accept this, Sir."

"I've already run it past Admiral Forrest. He approved it. I couldn't leave it on the planet with Thomas. He would use it for more criminal activities." Jon revealed. "T'Pol upgraded the computer system. Malcolm re-calibrated the targeting systems and your crew made sure the engine was running smoothly."

Trip smiled at the words on the ship. "And the name?"

"Fortuna was Thomas's ship. It's practically a new ship now, so I thought a new name was in order. This ship flew into our docking bay and with it came challenges that tested our friendship. I thought it would be a fitting name. Of course, it's yours so you can name her anything you want."

Trip shook his head. "Friendship is perfect, Captain."

Jon grinned. "You want to take her for a spin?"

Trip's head spun so fast he almost got whiplash. "Right now?"

Jon nodded, "Take Malcolm and Travis."

Trip grinned. "Yes Sir!"

 **The End!**


End file.
